Redeem now - Group singing has been shown to strengthen social bonds and improve one's overall well-being.
- I attended a group singing event in New York City I found on TikTok.
- After two hours of singing with strangers, I felt energized, lighter, and a little less alone.
I'm standing in a circle with 40 strangers. Matt Goldstein, 28, flounces around in the middle, assigning notes for a four-part harmony he's making up on the spot.
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in.Our voices swell, the interconnected melodies resonating in the cozy studio space in New York City's East Village. We experiment with different vowel sounds, from wide "aahs" to soft "oohs." Then, Goldstein invites us to step into the circle to sing out both the highlights and low points of our weeks.
"I just got laid off," someone sings over our harmonies.
Someone else hops into the circle. "Me too!"
Another participant sings that she recently received a cancer diagnosis, prompting a rousing, harmonious chorus of "Fuck cancer!"
'Kind, connective music spaces'
This is Gaia Music Collective, a community Goldstein founded in 2021 to offer "kind, connective music spaces" for all levels of experience to sing simply for the joy of it. Their collaborative events, ranging from 200-person one-day choirs to intimate house shows, allow people seeking connection to reap the reported benefits of group singing — and go viral on TikTok in the process.
The concept emerged out of the isolation of the pandemic. As COVID-19 vaccines began to allow for safer in-person gatherings, Goldstein, who works as a professional a cappella singer, composer, and vocal arranger, invited six friends over to his Brooklyn home in May 2021 to sing spontaneous harmonies and play musical improv games. Those six people invited friends to the next gathering, who invited some of their friends to the following one.
"I've been in music community my whole life," he told Insider. "I've been in singing groups — a cappella groups and choirs and theater — and I missed that feeling of singing with people and the connection of singing in harmony. It just hits different."
Goldstein named the group Gaia Music Collective after the Greek goddess of the Earth, a nod to how music helps explore "the ways that we're all connected and the ways we all affect one another," he said. He hosted the first official house show that December, where he filmed a room full of strangers harmonizing to Maggie Rogers' "Light On." After Goldstein shared it on TikTok, it was viewed nearly a quarter of a million times. Rogers herself commented on the video with a string of crying emojis.
@heartofgoldstein if you live in nyc and want this energy in your life, come join us! #harmony #singing #goodvibes ♬ original sound - Matt Goldstein
"All these people were commenting asking, 'How do I get in this room? Where are you doing this thing?'" Goldstein said. "That was sort of this turning point of realizing, 'Oh, it's not just my friends that want to do this. There's a lot of people who want a community like this.'"
Group singing has proven health benefits
It's hard to put the stirring experience of singing with a group of strangers into words. During the Circle Sing I attended in early October, I noticed how the interwoven harmonies required me to attune myself to the people around me, to listen to their voices and synchronize my breathing with theirs. I felt the rumbling of the bass notes and the vibrations of the high melodies, and couldn't help but smile at the sight of all of us working together to create a unified sound.
Scientists have observed the way singing can strengthen social bonds and impact one's health and well-being.
A 2015 study published in Royal Society Open Science reported a phenomenon dubbed "the ice-breaker effect," finding that singing promotes "fast cohesion between unfamiliar individuals, which bypasses the need for personal knowledge of group members gained through prolonged interaction." A 2016 study conducted by London's Royal College of Music found that cancer patients who engaged in just one hour of singing in a choir exhibited reduced stress levels, improved moods, and stronger immune system responses.
What is it about singing that facilitates such potent positive effects? Goldstein believes it's the way that singing requires letting your guard down.
"Singing is really vulnerable," he said. "We're inviting people into that space of vulnerability, where it's a little less scary to then be like, 'Hey, do you want to get coffee?'"
Singing without judgment
I, like most people I met at the Circle Sing, came across Gaia Music Collective on TikTok. While I often lead large groups in song as a cantor at various synagogues, I rarely sing just for fun anymore. I've also been looking to rebuild a wider network of friends since the pandemic shrank it down to a single pod. When the videos came across my For You page, I was sold.
I was lucky to even snag a ticket, which are priced on a sliding scale between $15 and $30. Jaime Torres, a musical-theater performer and frequent Circle Sing attendee, told me that the events sell out quickly.
"There's a really enjoyable sense of freedom to the whole thing," Torres said. "It allows you to fully let go and release, you know? It's very different than what I do for my job."
Scott Morwitz, a singer and voice teacher, also enjoys the spontaneity of Gaia's approach after years of singing in settings with more rigid structures.
"When I came from my first event, I didn't expect to have a spiritual experience," Morwitz said. "I was raised Catholic, and in recent years, I rediscovered Buddhism and started practicing meditation with other people. When I found this, it felt similar."
Some participants have even made romantic connections. Casper, a software engineer, and Conrado, an artist, got engaged after meeting at a Circle Sing earlier this year. (They declined to provide their last names since they had not yet shared the news with some close friends.) Casper said he decided to go to his first Gaia event after coming across a TikTok from a house show featuring a jubilant crowd singing ABBA songs.
"I was like, that's what I envisioned for myself when I moved to Brooklyn — sitting in a living room with a bunch of people, enjoying time together, singing, and not feeling isolated, which is what I was feeling at the time," Casper said. "I was so nervous to come, but I was really glad that I did."
That's exactly what Goldstein hopes to accomplish — democratizing the experience of singing with others and cultivating the bonds it can create. You don't have to read music, or commit to rehearsals, or worry about if your voice cracks.
@gaiamusiccollective the acoustics? the lights? the harmonies? chills, y’all. chills. “What Was I Made For?” opb. Billie Eilish Arranged and facilitated by @Kenter 🎥: @Claudia Vader #billieeilish #barbie #choir #harmony #nyc ♬ original sound - Gaia Music Collective
"Singing with people is a human right, and I think it's been co-opted by certain parts of society," Goldstein said. "You either perform for people or you're in an organized religion and that's where you're allowed to make music. What about making music, just, like, because?"
With overwhelming demand for more opportunities to connect, Gaia Music Collective is exploring branching out to other cities and bringing the healing effects of group singing to settings like schools and prisons.
"It's been really astounding," Goldstein said. "So many people come and go out of their way to share with us on their way out, 'I've been looking for something like this. I've been feeling really isolated in this city, and this was the first time that I've met new people in a long time.'"
As the Circle Sing came to a close, I looked around the room and saw the magic of group singing already taking effect. People who walked into the room as strangers were embracing, exchanging numbers and socials, and making plans to head to a local falafel spot to continue their conversations. Even though I spent a long day in the office and came to the event straight from work, I felt energized. Lighter. A little less alone. I hummed a tune on my way home.
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